This application claims the priority of German application 199 10 086.1, filed Mar. 8, 1999, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a motor vehicle having at least one vehicle occupant seat arranged laterally of a side member. Seat rails, on which the seat is arranged, extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and are fixedly connected by way of an underframe with a vehicle floor.
Vehicle seats of motor vehicles are known to have various constructions. The seats are usually displaceably arranged on longitudinal rails which are mounted on a seat underframe. For adjustment and locking of a seat into position, as a rule, diverse connecting and locking devices are provided.
German Patent Document DE-GM 79 32 187, for example, describes a cross member for an occupant seat in a vehicle which is connected with a seat rail and to which the frame of a foldable seat is linked. In its normal position, this frame can be locked by a locking device. This locking device has a hook-shaped element for fixing the vehicle occupant seat in its normal position. The element is fastened on the tiltable frame of the vehicle seat. In order to be able to tilt the vehicle occupant seat, a device is provided for operating the hook-shaped element in order to open up the locking arrangement.
This construction has a disadvantage in that, in the event of a frontal or rear impact (in the event of a crash), the seat rail may release from its holding device. Alternatively, a side member of the motor vehicle may buckle. Consequently, a vehicle occupant may be injured because of the resulting movement of the vehicle occupant seat or because of a reduction in the size of the vehicle occupant interior.
European Patent Document EP 0 046 227 describes a system in a motor vehicle which has short bolts connected with the vehicle door. When the vehicle door is closed, the bolts engage in a device which is fixedly connected with the seat rail. As a result, a connection is established between the vehicle door and the seat rail in order to avoid a relative sliding movement between the door and the rail. In the event of a crash, this connection ensures a secure distance between the vehicle door and the vehicle occupant seat.
This system, however, has a disadvantage in that, in the event of high dynamic stressing of the vehicle occupant seat, the seat rail may release from its fastening with the vehicle and a vehicle occupant sitting in this seat may be injured. It is also disadvantageous that a side member is insufficiently secured with respect to deformation by buckling in the event of a frontal or rear impact.
From German Patent Document DE 41 02 353 A1, a passenger car is known in which each of the front seats is displaceable on interior and exterior mutually spaced seat rails. The passenger car has door side members made of extruded light-metal profiles to which forward and rearward support bearings for the exterior seat rail is welded. In order to obtain an additional and lasting form-locking connection, the support bearings have an upward-projecting edge which engages in a downwardly open longitudinal groove of the extruded profile of the door side member. The purpose of this connection is to ensure that, in the event of a front impact or a rear impact, the seat rail cannot detach from the side member even if the welded connection of the support bearing with the interior wall of the side member breaks.
However, this structure is disadvantageous in that the additional form-locking connection requires high manufacturing expenditures and has high production costs.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a motor vehicle, particularly a passenger car, having at least one vehicle occupant seat by which, when the motor vehicle is involved in an accident, the greatest possible safety exists. In particular, deformation, as a result of longitudinal deformation of a side member, can be avoided in the event of a frontal and/or rear impact.
The safety devices according to the invention are arranged at a distance from one another in the longitudinal direction. These safety devices, therefore, establish an at least approximately form-locking connection with one another only when a relative movement occurs between the seat rail and the side member.
According to the invention, it is an advantage that no special tolerances have to be observed during manufacturing. Also, in normal operation of the motor vehicle, noises caused by one of the two safety devices hitting or rubbing against the other are avoided.
The two safety devices according to the invention can advantageously be brought into an operative connection with one another such that, as a result of the connection between the safety devices occurring in the event of a frontal and/or rear impact, an extremely strong coupling of the seat rail and the side member is formed. As a result, an additional connection is implemented between the seat rail, the side member and the vehicle floor, so that an effective stiffening of the vehicle body of the motor vehicle is achieved and deformation of the side member by buckling is avoided. This is particularly advantageous in a coupe, in which the stiffness of the vehicle body is essentially determined by the floor assembly.
Advantageous further developments of the invention are reflected in the claims and are present in the embodiments described in the following and shown in the drawings.